by Kristin Holt | Jul 1, 2015 | Articles
Fans of Mail Order Bride historical romances know that many of these marriages of convenience involved letter-writing for a couple to become acquainted and perhaps eventually marry. The curious thing is that writing and love letters between a courting couple wasn’t a phenomenon for those separated by distance. Couples in the Victorian-Era United States often sent love letters to one another as part of their courtship, even when the other party resided nearby.
by Kristin Holt | Jun 10, 2015 | Articles
Different authors have different methods of naming their characters. I share mine–because I can’t select just any name (historically accurate or not) for my characters.
by Kristin Holt | May 24, 2015 | Articles
READERS ASK: how much research does it take to produce an historical romance?
MY ANSWER: it depends on many aspects.
It depends on how much the author already knows about the setting, the era, the political climate, well-known (at least to those versed in history) events that coincide with the book’s time line.
by Kristin Holt | May 20, 2015 | Articles
Authors (and their writing methods) are as unique in their methods as in their fingerprints.
Beginning writers may study books, attend courses, learn from highly successful authors in one way or another, but eventually–through trial and error–they’ll figure out what works for them. There are no right ways, no magic bullets, no fantastic formulas, just as there are no wrong ways. Just as we all might set out from Atlanta, destination, Chicago–we’ll all get there taking a variety of personally selected routes. We’ll fly. Or drive. Take the interstate or back roads. Some will push through with 16 hour days, while others spend more time visiting stops along the way and arrive much later. Nothing wrong with any of it.
Given authors are individual about the process they use to create a book, I want to share my own methods–in case it piques your curiosity. In this Part 1 of a 2-part blog article, I’ll share the first half of my process: Branding, Software (Scrivener), Ideas are Everywhere, and 7-Point Story Structure.
